Year of Award

2010

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Type

Master of Science (MS)

Degree Name

Resource Conservation

Department or School/College

College of Forestry and Conservation

Committee Chair

David L.R. Affleck

Commitee Members

David Patterson, Elizabeth Dodson

Keywords

double sampling, line intercept, coarse woody debris, line intesect

Abstract

Coarse woody debris (CWD), an essential component of healthy forests, has typically been defined as dead and down, large woody material. Quantification of this resource provides a useful metric for assessing wildlife habitat, fuel loading, and more recently, carbon sequestration. Although many CWD sampling methods exist, accurate estimation is difficult and expensive. Double sampling incorporates auxiliary data that is positively correlated with the attribute of interest as a means of reducing sampling costs and/or increasing estimation precision. The present study investigated double sampling applications to the common CWD sampling technique, line intersect sampling (LIS). We identified aggregate length as a potential auxiliary variable for estimating aggregate volume and abundance of CWD. However, further analysis indicated that the cost difference of the sampling phases, coupled with the correlation of the variables was not sufficient to warrant double sampling in the study area. Further investigation is needed to develop accurate and efficient CWD sampling methods with widespread applicability.

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© Copyright 2010 Allissa Corrow